Seafood-processing apparatus



Dec. 17, 1957 M. M. MARTINEZ SEAFOOD PROCESSING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 26, 1956 INVENTOR lllr'oyffm riz'n 62 ATTORNEYS M. M. MARTINEZ SEAFOOD PROCESSING APPARATUS Dec. 17, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 26, 1956' 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Dec. 17, 1957 MARTINEZ 2,816,319

SEAFOOD PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed June 26, 1956 3Sheets-Sheet 5 1NVENTOR-..

MZroy/YMZ: rl'inez:

ATTORNEY;

United States Patent O nSEAEQ QD'rBRO GE SSIN G APPARATUS Melr 'yM: Martinez; New. Orleans; La.

dAplflicafiorizJune 26;:1956gaeriahNoR593g960 WS'LCIaimS. .(CI. 1.7--2) "r Iflmapresentzinyention irelatestitomseafo'od iprocessing ap- ,nparatusaand m'orepar'ticularly to apparatus for de'shelling,

deheading, and cleaning shrimp-wand .Ls'im'i'lar seafoocl. pmdtic'ts.

. hilihesprimary 'object-zofuthet .i-nve'ntion 'is to provide apr fccd'c theiseafood .tlnzoughfitheprocessing p'ortio'ris :of the' aapparatuszwithout requiting thei use lot s'pe'cial c'onveyors.

:r*Anoth,er iohjectsof-thetinvent-ionis-to'iprovide; a seafood I.riprocessingrapparaitus iof the class described a bove which a'isiinexpensiyetato manufacture, simple: to :use: aridbpe'rate, hand completelycz'efiec tive'rimits act-ion.

' tzflthenr'ohjeotsiaildiadvantagesawilll become apparent in rnlhesfollo'wtingspecification? whentconsidered =in thei'light' of rithezaattachedi'drawingsmina which:

G'EiElll-CZ1l$131it01311311i view. ofsthe inventionwith the mounting table therefor shown fragmentarily. alitglire 2 :sisaa r fragment-ray-?longitudirial cross-section direction of the arrows. zBignrerr3-iis an enlarged fragmentary transverse-crossthe direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse crosssectioniitakerr a'lo-ng the line 4- 4-of Figure' lylooking in the direction ofqthearrows;

.Figure 5 4's an enlarged fragmentary- 1ongitudinal cross section t'aken"al'ong'"the"li'ne"5 5 ofFigure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse crosssection taken along the line 66 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary lateral crosssection taken along the line 77 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse crosssection taken along the line 8--8 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 9 is a front elevation of a modified form of the invention shown fragmentarily.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary side elevation of the modification illustrated in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical crosssection taken along the line 11-11 of Figure 9, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the .zseveral figures,ethesreferehce numeral indicates generally a table'upon which mynew and improved'seafood processing ;.'apparatus, generally indicated at .21, is mounted.

- The table 20:slopes from a higher portion .22 to.a-lower portioni23..to; assist :in the operation of the apparatus 21 as will be hereinafter described. ;The1table?20 is'provided .w'ithta generally rectangular slot'i24 extending at.an. angle v:Etlrereacnoss andaa; seconduectangular- "slot.25- positioned in :izSpaGBd :parallelirelettionato thearectangular'. slot '24. The

-slotsz 24z and-1.25s extend 'complet'ely through tthe -table220, ifortreasonsutolbe assigned. The :sloti25; is somewhat lshor-ter than :the 'slo'ti-24iand hasiadjacent: thereto a: groove z26zxiiorme d bin '1 the aupper: surface; of: the :table 20.-.andi Fox- 2 tending parallel to therslot'ss24fiandi25.

A pairiof bearingtblocksi27randr28 are-isecured iniaxial alignmentotorithe ltablefz20i between: the. slots ;24.. and 25.

. A. ShaftIM -Li's journal-ledin' the bearing :blocks 27.- and 28 .Mithflthdrshafta: extending perpendicularly to. the slots e24 .and't25". :1AwpulleyiTwheel3(Lisv secured .to' the shaft 29 :zadj'acenttithe :bearingziblock?28- A ..second..pulley .31 is 'itheaend; rof-ithel shaft1129 adjacent the pulley thenpulleyiwheelnfitl:rand extends :through' tl1e;slot"--25, as 'r'sbestetseen;iiniFigureeIi.

Admb 32P=isumounted eon the: shaftt 29 {opposite to 'the fi zpul-leyirwheelsfil andlhasia discii3 secured"ltheretoJso=as to extend downwardly through the slot 24. Thei surface of :1' the;disc33adppositethe hub 32 :isprovidedalongiits outer -;-.-.peripheralapontions With 'a- .relatively coarse-.ab'radingfma- :terial 3.43 tTheicentral;p'ortionaof the-faceof thedisc 33 .inwardly;sofithexcoarserabradingz covered; materialt34 is reoated with .a' relatively fine abra'sivenn'arterial" 35.

"A pairitof bearing-eblockst-36: -and 37x'are1positionechadxwsuppor'te'chsonhthe itahleeZO 'Jbyameanstof*hracketsi'fitiziand 11 19;: wA metalzetshafts40vhas-:'a"rreducedt end-"1-portion%'141 a thereof-. journalled sin'r: the.=-:bearing (663 rand" a: 'reduced sop- :positeaend;aportionuitz,-:theneofrijourn'alledHin rtheohearing r87 FlEhe l shaft! 405. is 'positionednin spacedfirelationi tosthe :1:disc1 33 rand extends'tthereacrossvrattan angleddue to'tthe slope of the table 20, as can be seen in Figure 5.

Thevshaftrnflris knurled as 'at 43afromatheendtthereof eoarnyingnthetneduced rendi portionfidzwto 5a"- -p"o'int': 44i erili'ttle itbeyondnthesacenter:pointofethe shaftf40. iTheHremaining isurfalceiofrthe sharftatmis smooth as'at'45. bevelledigear :dsvseouredrnoyrthetneducedwend-portion1i42 'ofi -theishaft 1i; 40:beyondithe-:beaming'fb'lock 3'7.

Akpainfofiibearing blocksfl'l andt 48:are se'cured td the 1'itables20'1inraxially aligned'irelation-with f-their axes: parallel mtoathe zarres tofathe'abearingtbl'ocksfizkandi 28. 1A ishafta 49 rs'isrfjournal'ledidn tthe 'rbeari'ng b-Iocks3474and QSitWith a tvbevelledageaniSt) i'seouned' totone' m nd. EtheljeOfihiflfSlfing relation to the bevelled gear 46. A pulley 51 is secured to the opposite end of the shaft 49 in aligned relation to the pulley 30. A belt 52 connects the pulleys 30 and 51 in driving relation. The groove 26 in the table 20 provides space for the belt 52, pulley 3t), and pulley 51, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

A bracket 53 is secured to the table 20 and has slidably supported therein a pair of mounting rods 54 and 55. The mounting rods 54 and 55 are positioned in spaced parallel relation and parallel to the table 20. Each of the mounting rods 54 and 55 have secured thereto a washer 56 which is adapted to engage against one side of the bracket 53 in which position it is normally maintained by a coil spring 57 acting against the washer 56 and the opposite side of the bracket 53. The mounting rods 54 and 55 have secured to their ends adjacent the disc 33 a curved plate 58 having secured to the bottom edge thereof a rubber bar 59 which engages lightly against the shaft 40.

A guide plate 60 is supported on brackets 61 on the 3 table 20 and is positioned in generally aligned but laterally spaced relation to the curved plate 58. The guide plate 60 is spaced from the shaft 49 a slight distance and is provided with an upper wall 62 which slopesdownwardly toward the disc 33, as best seen in Figure 8.

A cleaning brush 63 is mounted beneath the table 20 by means of a bracket 6 2-, as seen in Figure 4, and is so arranged to lightly contact the disc 33. The cleaning brush 63 extends at a substantial angle to the vertical, as best illustrated in Figure 5.

In the use and operation of the preferred form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 through 8, the disc 33, as viewed in Figure 5, rotates counter-clockwise While the shaft 40 rotates so that the surface 43 thereof throughout the major portion of its length will be moving oppositely to the abrading surfaces 34 and 35 of the disc 33, while the remaining smooth portion of the shaft 40 lying beyond the center of the disc 33 will have its surface moving in the same direction as the surface of the disc 33.

Shrimp or other seafood is introduced onto the shaft 40 at the end thereof having the reduced end portion 42 from any suitable chute or conveyor (not shown) and with the action of the disc 33, coupled with the action of the shaft 40, the shrimp will be held against both while traveling along the shaft 40 toward the end carrying the reduced end portion 41 thereof. The shrimp will pass under the curved plate 58 which acts to maintain the shrimp in correct relation with respect to the disc 33 and the shaft 40. A spray of water constantly impinges against the shrimp, the shaft 40, and the disc 33 to assist in the cleaning action.

The combined action of the shaft 40, the disc 33, and the Water causes the shrimp to lie lengthwise from head to tail touching both the rotating disc 33 and the rotating shaft 40. The downward motion of the rotating disc 33 and the upward motion of the rotating shaft 40 creates a rolling, squeezing, grabbing, or shearing action on the hull or shell of the shrimp. The rolling action loosens the meat from the inside of the shell and causes a crushing action on the larger hollow head section. The downward abrasive action of the abrasive surface 34, traveling approximately three times faster than the upward rolling motion of the shaft 40, shears oif the legs of the shrimp and grabs the shell tearing it open and away from the meat.

The shrimp moves from left to right, as viewed in Figure 5, along the downward slope of the rotating shaft 40 assisted by the flow of water and the rotating disc 33. The shrimp meats are gradually moved inwardly of the disc 33 to the portion thereof having the fine abrasive coating 35 thereon. Along this portion of the disc 33 the surface thereof is moving approximately two and onehalf times faster than the shaft 40. The finer abrasive action of the abrasive coating 35 removes the disengaged clinging hulls from the meat of the shrimp which are carried away between the disc and the shaft, passing 4 through the currents existing therebetween. The shrimp shells, heads, feet and other foreign material are crushed as they pass between the disc 33 and the shaft 40.

A second spray of water impinges against the disc 33 below the shaft 40 washing the debris from the disc 33. The cleaning brush 63 past which the disc 33 moves completes the removal of any embedded materials from the face of the disc 33.

As the shrimp meats, now thoroughly cleaned, pass beyond the center of the disc 33 along the shaft 40, the action of the disc 33 reverses with relation to the shrimp meats and the meats are caused to ride up onto the guide plate along the surface 62. The shrimp meats are discharged into any suitable conveyor or chute (not shown) from a point adjacent the end of the shaft 40 carrying the reduced end portion 41.

It is contemplated that apparatuses such as that de scribed above may be operated in series so that the shrimp meats pass through two complete cycles prior to being discharged for packing.

A modified construction is illustrated in Figures 9 through 11 wherein a shaft 40' cooperates with an endless belt 33' in the same general manner that the shaft 40 cooperates with the disc 33. No specific mountings are shown for the modified structure illustrated in Figures 9 through 11 since conventional mounting structures would be used for this purpose.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that numerous other structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A seafood processing apparatus comprising a base, a rotating disc supported on said base, an abrading surface formed on said rotating disc, a shaft positioned adjacent to but spaced apart from said disc supported on said base, a knurled surface formed on said shaft, said shaft and said disc each rotating so that the respective surfaces thereof move oppositely to each other for a portion of the length of said shaft and in the same direction for a portion of the length of said shaft, and means on said base for guiding seafood so as to simultaneously contact the knurled surface of said shaft and the abrading surface of said disc. f

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base is sloped and said disc and said shaft are mounted to extend at an angle thereacross.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein means mounted on said base are provided for cleaning said disc at a point below said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 631,364 Germany June 18, 1936 

